Veteran CBS News correspondent Bob Simon was killed in a car crash this evening in New York City. His journalism career began at CBS in 1967, and he has worn many hats, and covered many events, during his nearly 50-year tenure there.

CBS News New York reports that Bob Simon suffered injuries to his head and torso after the Lincoln Towncar in which he was riding struck a Mercedes at a red light. The driver of the Towncar then went into the barriers separating westbound traffic from eastbound traffic. Simon was transported to St. Luke’s Roosevelt, where he died of his injuries. The New York Daily News is reporting that the crash was so bad, both Simon and his driver had to be cut out of the Lincoln. Neither the driver of the Towncar, nor the driver of the Mercedes, was seriously hurt.

CBS New York published a statement from Jeffrey Fager, CBS News chairman and executive producer at “60 Minutes,” which said:

It’s a terrible loss for all of us at CBS News. It is such a tragedy made worse because we lost him in a car accident, a man who has escaped more difficult situations than almost any journalist in modern times. Bob was a reporter’s reporter. He was driven by a natural curiosity that took him all over the world covering every kind of story imaginable.

The journalistic community responded to Bob Simon’s death with shock and grief:

So sorry to learn of the passing of Bob Simon. He was a great reporter & wonderful man. A frequent guest of mine. So sorry to hear this. RIP

Bob Simon’s five-decade career contained coverage of events like the persecution of the Coptic Christians involved in Egypt’s ongoing political problems. He also went to Fukushima, Japan, three years after an earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster nearly destroyed the city.

Simon was an award-winning journalist, who won 27 Emmys for his coverage of everything from Vietnam to Cambodia, to a report called “The Sea Gypsies,” in which he covered an island-dwelling people known as the Moken, in Southeast Asia. He also won both a Peabody Award and an Emmy for his coverage of an all-black symphony orchestra in Central Africa.

He became a regular correspondent for “60 Minutes” back in the mid-1990s, and was also a major correspondent for all seven seasons of “60 Minutes II.” The 2014-2015 season of “60 Minutes” was his 19th season with the show.

Bob Simon was born in The Bronx in 1941, and graduated with a degree in history from Brandeis University in 1962. He is survived by his wife; and his daughter, who is a producer for “60 Minutes.”

Our sincerest condolences to Bob Simon’s family, and to CBS News, for this terrible tragedy.